Mums Earn More In One In Six Couples

By Alison Steed

TEN times as many dads are now staying at home to look after their children than a decade ago, with women becoming the main breadwinner for one in six couples.

Around 600,000 men take on the role of stay-at-home dad while their wife or girlfriend works, up from 60,000 10 years ago, according to research from Aviva.

Nearly one in five couples share the childcare equally in their households, but for nearly nine in 10 households, the number of hours worked by at least one parent have fallen.

However, two in five women going out to work feel guilty for leaving their children, and one in seven admit to occasionally resenting their partner because they are having to go out to work. That said, fewer than one in 10 would swap places with their partner and become the stay-at-home parent.

Just one in 10 dads say staying at home to look after their children makes them ‘feel less of a man’, with three quarters feeling lucky to be able to spend time with their children. Nearly a third find looking after children more rewarding than working.

Louise Colley, head of protection marketing for Aviva – which offers free life cover for new parents – said: "Since launching free life cover for new parents last summer, it's been interesting to see that applications have been more or less equally split between mums and dads. This shows how the lines of ‘traditional' roles and responsibilities are becoming blurred - it's no longer necessarily men who look after the money and women who look after the children. We then thought it would be interesting to understand exactly how parenting roles are changing in order to understand the protection needs of our customers.  

"While generally speaking it's still more usual for men to take the more conventional role of the main income earner, our research shows that this is shifting and more women are becoming the breadwinners. While both roles are equally valuable, nowadays it's quite likely that women will be heading off to the office while men are changing nappies and doing the school run!  

"We'd advise anyone with dependent children to consider the importance of financial protection for their family - particularly if they are relying on one income."  

Aviva offers £10,000 worth of free life cover to new parents, per parent, per child up to their first birthday. Parents must register within the first six months of their children's birth.  

Find out more about the Aviva life cover for new parents at www.aviva.co.uk/life-insurance